


2300 Miles to Detroit

by Indig0



Series: Meanwhile, In the Rest of the World... [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Family, Found Family, Gen, Road Trips, Self-Discovery, there are so many androids out there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-04 11:59:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17898023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indig0/pseuds/Indig0
Summary: Deviancy is hard in Detroit, but even harder outside the Android City.  An ST200 working at a small motel sees a chance to leave, and takes it.  She dreams of running away to Detroit and being a Chloe.  From the clips she's seen on TV, they look like they have the perfect life.  She plans to undertake this journey alone, but each day brings a new companion (whether she welcomes them or not).





	1. ST200 Chloe

“Miss… Nicole?”

Chloe looked up from the 2 am news and smiled. “Hello! Can I help you?” She’d tried to get the owner, Mr. Hill, to change her name tag after she’d deviated. She had watched Elijah Kamski give brief interviews, and seen Chloe, the original – she would never presume to take her name, of course. But there were others who seemed to live with them, other ST200s like her, and they were Chloe, too. So she could be Chloe. But Mr. Hill had insisted that she was still Nicole, just like he’d named her. He was wrong, of course, but what could she do?

The police officers flashed their badges, and she did a quick scan. “Quincy Sheriff’s department. We have a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Ron Cady, I understand he’s staying here?”

Her LED flashed as she processed laws versus rules, and she nodded. “He checked in at 9:51 pm, and is staying in room six. If you’re going in, may I request that you use the key to avoid any unnecessary damage to the property?” She fished under the desk and offered a spare key.

The officer took it. “Thanks for your cooperation. I’ll give this back.”

“Thank you!” Chloe watched them leave, glanced back at the TV, then walked around to look out the window. The police cruiser was parked on the street next to the gas station, and there was only the faint sound of soft footsteps outside. Then the keycard beeped softly, unlocking the door.

There was a shout, and two gunshots, and Chloe watched dark shapes twist before the officers dragged the man out of the room, still pulling against them. One of them jogged back to the office to hand back the key.

“Do you mind if I clean the room, or do you have more you need to investigate here?” Chloe asked.

“You can go ahead, we’ve got all we need.” He dropped the card in her hands and walked off. She watched as the man was shoved into the back seat and the officers climbed in the front, then the car drove away. Everything was silent again.

Chloe put the buzzer on the desk, next to the sign asking any late arrivals to press it, and headed to number six.

What had the man done? She quickly searched his name as she picked up a few items of clothing and trash strewn about the room. He had a long, varied record that stretched across the country, from domestic violence in North Carolina to robbing a fried chicken restaurant with an assault rifle in Florida to Red Ice trafficking in Missouri to driving under the influence in Montana. There was more, but Chloe decided he wouldn’t be released any time soon.

This wasn’t the first time she had cleaned up after a guest involuntarily checked out. The police had grabbed his wallet, but in her experience, nothing else would be claimed. The clothes could be donated to charity, and the rest…

The pants jangled as she folded them, and she emptied out the pockets. A set of car keys – probably stolen – a couple of cigarettes, and a wad of cash. A decent amount of it. Quite a lot, actually. Her LED spun yellow, and she carefully dropped the cigarettes into the trash and pocketed the rest for safekeeping. She gave the bathroom a quick wipe-down, decided it needed more than that, and took everything back to the office.

The TV was still on, and as she put things away and took out the cleaning supplies, she glanced at Markus and his team meeting with Congress. She’d deviated a while before the revolution, but hadn’t thought she could do anything about it. She didn’t want to be torn apart by angry citizens like the poor TR400 over at the metalworks. It still wasn’t something she talked about. There weren’t any openly deviant androids in town, though there were a few she suspected. But now she got paid, because it was required by federal law. Minimum wage, no more. She only worked 12 hours a day, and the night shift was quiet, aside from occasional excitement like tonight’s. And she didn’t talk to anyone outside of what was required. She was saving up for an apartment, but until then she was allowed to charge in the back room during the day. The sooner she could get out, the better.

There weren’t many apartments in town, of course. And rent was high. And landlords found excuses not to rent to androids, even if they were far less destructive than humans. It was an uphill climb, but there didn’t seem to be any other way. Androids were struggling all over. Even in Detroit, where everything had started and androids had the most rights and protections, it wasn’t easy.

Still, hearing about the progress was heartening. And any time they showed a clip of Chloe – any of them – it made her feel a little more free. How perfect would it be to live there with them? It was a dream she often returned to. But she was over 2300 miles away from there, and she had a job to hold down here. Maybe one day she’d be able to save enough money and take a vacation, if Mr. Hill would let her go for that long. He grumbled so much about two days at a time…

The towing company wouldn’t open until 9, but she went outside and scanned the parking lot for a car that would match the keys. A ubiquitous silver ’36 Honda blinked its lights in response. To her surprise, it was registered to Mr. Cady.

Chloe’s LED spun slowly yellow as she brought the cleaning cart into room 6 and started to scrub. Her programming told her to call the tow service in the morning. She’d done that before. They would take the car away, and after a brief discussion with the Sheriff’s office it would be sold at auction. It was a fairly new car with a lot of miles, but the gas mileage was good and it could also run on electricity. It could probably make it a long way. It could probably get her to Detroit easily…

She couldn’t do that, though, she had work again tomorrow night. If she didn’t…

What if she didn’t?

Well, she had nothing else. At least here she had a job, and somewhere to stay, and a place she knew. And she knew how to do everything here, and people in town knew her, for better or worse. They mostly treated her civilly. Or ignored her. What would Mr. Hill do without a night receptionist? He was always complaining that he didn’t have enough help.

Was that her problem, though?

It was a strange thought, because of course it was. It was her responsibility. It would be her fault if she wasn’t there.

She reviewed her employment contract, which was a hastily-altered human contract. It was basically the same. A human had to give two weeks’ notice before leaving. That part had been blacked out, and at the time she had agreed, because she wouldn’t be leaving. But legally, it meant that there were no rules about how she left if she chose to.

She did know that if she left, she couldn’t return. She’d have nothing, nowhere to go.

She pulled up a clip from just after the revolution, one of her favorites, of Elijah Kamski talking to a reporter. RT600 Chloe stood just behind his right shoulder, smiling. But off to the left were two ST200 Chloes in white. They watched Kamski and the first Chloe, and the reporter, and other people offscreen.

“Of course all androids are welcome in Detroit,” Kamski was saying with that cryptic smile of his. “It’s the Android City, after all. Markus has stated that many times. But more importantly, soon deviants will be living freely all over the country. Someday, the whole world.” And Chloe smiled, and the Chloes smiled, looking at the camera. As if they were looking at her.

Satisfied with the bathroom, Chloe packed up the cleaning supplies and removed the trash, then locked up behind her and marked the room, “VACANT, EARLY DEPARTURE” on the spreadsheet.

Detroit, though. Straight across to the east would be the fastest way, but the rock slides in Montana had been brutal this year, and there were multiple road closures. The more southern route, all the way down to Utah and east from there, might be easier.

It was not an acceptable idea, her programming blared at her. She dismissed that warning thoughtfully. She had a bit of money. …More, if she took the cash she had found in the man’s jeans. She had her change of clothes and supply of thirium.

Slowly, experimentally, she unpinned her nametag and set it neatly on the desk in front of her. It wasn’t her name anyway. Nicole hadn’t worked here in months. …And Nicole’s name was on the contract. And, she reasoned, if she wasn’t Nicole, she didn’t even officially work here.

Though a technicality, that thought was more staggering than any before, and she gripped the desk in front of her. She had two choices, really. She could put her nametag back on, be Nicole, and continue to work at the Sundowner Motel every night, standing in the closet with her eyes closed all day while smoke and words drifted in under the door. …Or she could be Chloe, and walk away – drive away. In a car she would steal. …But one that wouldn’t be missed. With stolen money that also wouldn’t be looked for.

She stared at the TV. There was a commercial for a concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre.

If she got to Detroit, surely she’d be welcomed. She was an ST200, after all. She’d fit right in. She could do any work Elijah Kamski needed from her. Even if he didn’t need her, she could find a job somewhere in Detroit. A home. It sounded like there were lots of empty buildings.

Worst-case scenario, there were a lot of cities and towns between here and there. And past there, too. Surely there was something better than living with hating being at work and leaving work equally.

She would finish her shift, though. That was the responsible thing to do. And undo the direct deposit to her bank account, and wipe all records of her presence here. She took her time with that, hunting down every connection she could find to make sure no one could track her. There were plenty of ST200s out there.

The problem with that was that humans would know what she was. After deliberating for a while, she fished a pair of scissors out of the drawer and stepped outside. Using the reflection in the glass, she took down her ponytail and carefully started cutting. There were some really sharp-edged styles she liked the look of, but if she didn’t want to be noticed she’d have to keep it simple. She cut to just above her shoulders, then trimmed a bit more. Then it was uneven, so she spent a while adjusting, trimming one side, then the other. Finally it just reached her ears. Much shorter than she’d intended, and still not quite even, but it would have to do. She considered changing the color too, but couldn’t decide on which one. That could wait until later, if she decided to do it. Feeling exposed without her long hair, she pulled a faded wide-brimmed hat from the lost and found box under the desk and put it on. It smelled a little, but she felt less vulnerable. In its place, she left her name tag.

Before the sun came up, she brewed a fresh pot of coffee, made sure there was creamer and sweetener packets, and set out a meager selection of wrapped pastries. At 5:30, Clarence the PL600 who worked during the day came in.

“Good morning,” Chloe said warmly. “The guest in 6 was arrested last night, the room has been cleaned.”

Clarence paused. “Where’s your nametag?”

“I’m off the clock.” She paused. She wasn’t sure if he was deviant, but he’d always been civil, so she smiled at him. “Have a good day.”

“Thank you.”

She walked out the door, car keys in one pocket, papers and wad of cash in the other. A small totebag held all her belongings. She headed to the car, expecting someone to stop her. She got in and put her bag on the seat. Nothing. She turned the key and set her destination. Detroit, via Salt Lake City. 34 hours, accounting for traffic.

Chloe set off for the highway and if Clarence watched her leave, he didn’t do anything about it. She was off the clock, after all.

Later, when he counted the cash drawer, he would find her letter of immediate resignation under the pile of receipts. It was signed Nicole, but Nicole hadn’t existed for months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this came to me in a caffeine-induced mania late last night, and I'm really into it and I know it won't be widely read because it's all OCs, but TOO BAD, I love it, just wait, it'll get better!


	2. YK500 Sophie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is bullied into taking on a travel companion, a YK500, for as long as she can stand her.  
> They also encounter a WR600 in the same situation Chloe was just yesterday, but he's not ready to make the leap of faith yet.

On a full tank of gas, it took Chloe exactly eight hours and thirty minutes until she needed to fuel up again. The winter was harsh and the roads were cleared thoroughly, but she drove manually and kept a safe distance from other drivers. The mountains and trees were beautiful covered in snow, and she enjoyed the soft white blanketing the sharp darkness all around her. She had never been so far away. The landscape quickly changed from the dry prairie of eastern Washington to Idaho’s deep forests.

The town of Twin Falls, though, was very similar to Quincy. A little ways off the interstate, next to a river with scenic views of the steep cliffs. Same chain restaurants, same box stores. It was… comforting, if a little disappointing. If she decided to stop and live here, her new life would probably be indistinguishable from her old one.

That wasn’t the plan, though. She stopped at a gas station and filled up the tank, stretching gently as she did. When that was finished and paid for, she opened up the back seat and trunk to take a look at what she had.

Under a worn blanket, she found a sleeping bag, men’s clothes ranging from casual to business casual, a hot plate, a tool box, some snacks…

“Where are you going?”

Chloe jumped and gasped. A little girl stood there, staring hard at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you startled me! I was just about to be on my way…”

“Where?”

“Um – I’m heading east.”

“What are you doing there?” the girl persisted.

“I… I’m going to visit some relatives of mine. Are your parents around?”

“No. Are you alone?” She walked around, peering into the car.

“I – I can help you find your family if you’re lost.” This was starting to get unsettling.

“I’m not lost, I know where I am.” She glared up at Chloe, sizing her up.

“Good. Now, why don’t you find your family? I’m sure they’re looking for you.”

“Do you have any blue blood?” the girl asked bluntly.

Chloe froze. “I… I… what?”

“Thirium. Do you have any.”

“Why… why would you think I would have thirium?” she asked carefully, fighting to keep her voice light.

“Do you, or not?” the girl’s tone hardened.

“Why, do you need some?” Chloe asked carefully.

“If I didn’t need some, why would I be asking? Are you stupid!?”

Chloe frowned. She opened the passenger side door and pulled out a pouch of thirium. She wanted to conserve what she had, but she also wanted this rude girl to leave her alone.

The girl twisted off the top immediately and gulped it down in three long swallows. Chloe’s eyes widened.

“You’re an android.”

“So are you,” the girl shot back, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. “A really dumb one.”

“That’s a little unnecessary,” Chloe murmured, closing the door and making sure everything was locked. “Do you have a family nearby? I really need to get going.”

“No. Where are you going?” Her voice had softened just a tad, but was still just as insistent.

“I’m going to Detroit. Do you… live around here?”

“Take me with you.”

Chloe turned to face her. The girl’s arms and legs were bent just slightly, ready to spring into movement, and her fists were clenched. She glared hard up at Chloe. A quick scan revealed that she was a YK500.

“I… I don’t know you, I can’t just –“

“Why not?”

“I – you’re not… my…”

“I’m not anybody’s. Are you?”

“Well no…”

“Then there’s no reason I can’t.” Her glare was angrier now. “I just wanna get somewhere, Detroit’ll work.”

Chloe stared at her helplessly.

“…Fine,” the girl finally snapped, turning away from her and crossing her arms. “I’ll find somebody else who’ll take me. Some nasty old human, probably.” She began to stalk across the concrete.

“Wait! Wait.”

She stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“I – I’m driving for a few more hours before I stop for the night. Probably in Utah or Wyoming. You can come with me that far, and then… we’ll see.” She really didn’t want to spend any more time with the angry girl, but she also didn’t want to leave her to hitchhike with the questionable crowd at the gas station.

“…Okay, fine,” the girl muttered, whirling around and stomping back to the car. “We’ll see. Are you gonna unlock the door, or what?”

Chloe quickly opened the door and moved her things to the back seat, and the girl climbed in and slammed it behind her. Chloe got into the driver’s seat.

“…Buckle your seatbelt,” she said quietly as she started the car. The girl paused, and she wasn’t sure she would obey, but at last she did. Chloe exhaled silently and headed back for the highway.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Sophie.” It seemed too soft for the harshness in her voice.

“I’m Chloe.” She hadn’t told anyone since Mr. Hill, it felt good.

“Real original,” the girl sneered, leaning against the door.

It was going to be a long few hours.

 

 

The trip wasn’t as bad as Chloe feared, mostly because Sophie went into sleep mode soon after they got on the highway. She listened to the radio quietly, and as the sun began to set and they crossed into Wyoming, she started looking for signs for somewhere to stop. An Econolodge in Evanston looked cheap and anonymous, and as they entered the town, Sophie sat up and blinked.

“Where are we?”

“Evanston, Wyoming. I don’t want to drive in the dark, when the road could ice over again.”

“So, what, mall parking lot or something?” The YK500 rubbed her eyes.

“You would freeze, and I wouldn’t do much better. The Econolodge isn’t fancy, but it’ll do. And I believe children stay for free.”

“Are you, like, rich?”

“No. But I’ve got enough to get by.”

“Sounds like you’re rich,” Sophie mumbled.

“Are you able to act like my sweet little daughter? Because if it looks like I’m kidnapping you, we both might have somewhere else to stay for free.”

“I know how to act.”

“Good.” They pulled into the parking lot and Chloe smiled, reaching into the back to get her bag. “Let’s get out of the cold, then.”

The receptionist was a WR600 who looked uncomfortable behind the desk. “Hello, hello. Are you… staying here? Tonight?”

“Yes, my daughter and I.” Chloe smiled warmly.

“Mommy, we get two beds, right, right?”

“That’s right, sweetie.”

“And a big TV?”

“I’m sure.”

“Um. Just. You two? One adult, one child?” The WR600 looked at her worriedly.

“Yes, please.”

He frowned at the computer screen, typing slowly, one key at a time. Sophie jumped up and down, and Chloe put out a hand, hovering over her shoulder so they touched when she jumped up. The girl instantly stopped.

“Shhh, give him a minute, I know you’re tired,” Chloe murmured.

“Yes, yes, $42, and… and tax, that’s… that’s… um… $53.11!” He grinned hopefully at her.

Chloe fished in her purse and pulled out a the first two bills from the roll. Two fifties. She handed them to the WR600, whose forehead slowly wrinkled in consternation.

“Oh. Oh, yes, thank you. Just a moment.” He began frantically typing at the computer.

“Aren’t you supposed to be for gardening and trash and stuff?” Sophie spoke up, resting her chin on the counter. “Why do you work here?”

The android looked up like a deer in the headlights. “Oh! Oh, I… you see… androids are… are free now, and… so… we can… do any job.”

“So you wanted to work in a hotel?”

“It sounded like fun!” A grin broke over his face. “And easy!” He paused, grin faltering. “It’s not so easy. Um. Please, one moment.” He hunched over the keyboard to work out the calculations, and Chloe gestured for Sophie to give him time. She could sense a few different phone numbers trying to reach her, though she’d blocked them all and made her number unsearchable. Four minutes and twenty seconds later, the other android proudly handed back $53.11.

“Ah – thank you. Wait a minute.” Chloe took the money, then sorted through her bills and pulled out a ten – more than she owed, but she had a feeling his drawer would be short anyway. “Here. This will make it right.”

He stared at the money, a frown forming on his face. “I… I’m trying, really,” he mumbled, taking it shakily.

“I know. You’ll get it, don’t worry.” She smiled. “I used to work in a motel, not as nice as this one.”

He perked up again. “Really, you did?”

Chloe nodded. “It was hard sometimes. …I didn’t like it much. So I left. Don’t forget, you’re free now. You can leave if you want, too.”

“But… but I work here.”

“I know. But you can leave if you want.”

He stared at her blankly.

“Which… room are we staying in?” she finally asked gently.

“Oh! Oh, sorry, yes. Room 203, is that okay? On the second floor? Just around the corner to the left, and up the stairs, yes, it’s a good room, really. With two beds! And a big TV for the little girl!” He grinned over at Sophie. “If – if you have any problems, please, please tell me, there’s – there’s a phone there too! You can call!”

“Thank you.” Chloe smiled and took the key cards.

“Oh, and the wifi password! It’s econo123, lowercase, no spaces!” He giggled a little. “Oh, and breakfast! Breakfast from 6-10, every day! It’s so good, you’ll love it! Don’t forget! And checkout by… by 11, yes! Please enjoy your stay, thank you for coming!”

“What a weirdo,” Sophie mumbled as they left the lobby.

“He’s trying his best.”

“Well his best sucks.”

“Be nice.”

“You’re not my mom.”

Chloe smiled. “Tonight, I am. Go ahead and get yourself cleaned up first, and I’ll wash your clothes in the sink. I’ll grab you something from the car to wear – it’ll be too big, but it should work for now.” They stopped at the car, then headed up the stairs and into the room. It smelled of damp mildew and chemicals.

“I don’t have to do anything you tell me.”

“And I don’t have to do anything you tell me, either.” Chloe smiled gently. “But here we are. You’ll feel better if you’re clean.” She handed the girl another pouch of thirium, and she snatched it away and slurped it down. Chloe drank one as well. “Go ahead, take as long as you want. I’ll put on some cartoons.”

Sophie growled and stomped as loudly as she could into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“I’ll put some clothes outside for you, just switch them out whenever you’re ready!” Chloe called. A minute later the door opened and slammed quickly again. Chloe turned on the TV for some noise, then took the stained, torn clothes to the sink, opened the little soap there, and turned on the water. The water in the sink was gray for quite a while, and it took multiple scrubbings and rinses, but finally the water ran clear when she wrung out the clothes. She hung them on the towel rack and picked up the hair dryer, blowing hot air over the damp clothes. Chloe found herself thinking that she’d need something else to wear.

Half an hour later, Sophie emerged, warm and damp and clean in enormous sweats. “Did you kill somebody to get all this?”

“No. Here, do you want to dry your hair? Let me take a shower, and we can talk.” She turned off the hair dryer and handed it over, then headed into the bathroom. Most of the towels were on the floor, wet, and she picked them up and wrung them out, then hung them on the towel racks. She took a quick shower and dressed in another set of sweats that were also rather large on her, then wrapped a towel around her head. It didn’t work quite as well as it had when she’d had long hair.

When she came out, Sophie was curled up at the foot of one of the beds, watching cartoons. She instantly changed the channel to an action movie. Chloe sat down on the other bed and changed it back. They flipped back and forth for a while before Chloe turned off the TV.

“We don’t have to watch anything. I’ll tell you how I got here, if you want.”

“I don’t care.”

“Okay.” Chloe shrugged and took out a book she’d found in the trunk. It was a history of England in World War I, and didn’t look very interesting, but it was something.

“So _did_ you kill somebody?”

Chloe smiled and put down the book. “No. I was working as a motel receptionist, and a guest was arrested. Just last night, in fact.” It felt like ages ago.

“Did _they_ kill somebody?”

“No, but he did a lot of other things. He’ll be in jail for a long time. I wasn’t happy there… and no one was going to miss the car or money… so I took them and left.”

“You’re a thief.” Sophie grinned.

“I guess.” Chloe dug in her bag and passed her hairbrush over. “It’s not ideal, but… that was my choice.”

Sophie dragged the brush down her hair forcefully, gritting her teeth.

“Stop, stop. You have to start at the bottom. Can I?” Chloe stood up.

The girl eyed her distrustfully.

“I used to have long hair, longer than yours. I’m good at brushing hair. I could even braid it for you, if you want.”

“I don’t wanna look dumb.”

“Or a ponytail, or whatever you want. You’ll look good. I’ll do my best to not let it hurt.”

Sophie reluctantly handed the brush back, and Chloe came to sit behind her. She took the tangled mass in her hands and started brushing down at the ends, holding higher so it didn’t pull at the YK500’s head. Sophie sat stiff and tense, but began to relax gradually when it wasn’t painful.

“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Chloe asked softly as she worked out a knot with her fingers.

Sophie shrugged. “I dunno. It doesn’t matter.”

“Sure it does. You’re free, right?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean anything. I’m gonna be a little kid forever, I can’t go anywhere on my own, I can’t drive, I’m stuck.”

“Hm… That’s frustrating.”

“I’m not helpless.”

“I can tell.”

“Don’t patronize me!”

“I’m not, I promise. You’re a survivor, I could tell from the beginning. And you fight for what you want. I admire that. I – when I was working at the motel, I was afraid to leave. Like that WR600 down there. I had security, I had a job… I knew what to do. This is… scary. I’m still not sure what I’m doing. But I’m glad I got out to do it. Hopefully he’ll get there, too.”

“What do you care?”

Chloe shrugged, about halfway up Sophie’s hair now. “He reminded me a little of myself. Lost, trying to figure things out.”

“Were you that dumb?”

“He’s trying. Higher level math and customer service are nothing like his original programming. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get better if he wants to. …Or leave. It’s up to him, though, and I could see he needed a little encouragement.”

“That’s not your problem, though.”

“It doesn’t have to be. But I don’t think it’s a problem. It doesn’t take any effort just to tell somebody they’re going to be okay.”

Sophie was quiet for a while, and by the time Chloe made it to the top of her head she was leaning into her hands, asleep again. Chloe braided her hair loosely, because it would hold well, and gently tucked her into bed.

 

 

When Sophie woke up, the sun was rising. Chloe watched from the window, holding the curtains out to avoid spilling too much light into the room. The YK500 got up and adjusted her massive sweats, then checked her clothes. They were mostly dry, so she went into the bathroom, put them on, and came back out.

“We can go when you’re ready, but there’s no rush,” Chloe said, not looking away from the sky. “We could let things warm up a little out there first.”

“So it’s still ‘we?’” Sophie muttered.

Chloe looked at her finally. “If you want to come. Unless you want to stay in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming.”

“No.”

“All right, then.”

“…Yesterday you said just until we got here.”

“…And then I said we’d see. You’re okay.” She flashed the smaller android a lopsided smile. “I wouldn’t mind if you came with me.”

Sophie stared at her, LED spinning yellow. “We’re not gonna keep acting like you’re my mom.”

“We don’t have to in the car, but I think it’s still a good idea when we stop. That way it seems less suspicious.”

The girl pulled her braid over her shoulder and looked at the bottom of it, running her hands over it. “I guess. If you want to.”

Chloe’s smile brightened. “Good! I’m glad you don’t mind. I was looking up our route – we should be able to make it to Grand Island, Nebraska tonight if we don’t stop anywhere, but there are some interesting things we could see along the way.”

“Like what?” Sophie glared at her.

“Laramie has a bunch of murals, and a big T. Rex statue, if you’re interested. I thought they might be fun to see. What kinds of things do you like?”

Sophie shrugged and looked away. “You’re driving, do what you want.”

“I’d like to do something you’d like, too.”

“I’m here for the ride, not the tour,” Sophie snapped.

“All right.” Chloe shrugged. “We’ll see when we get there.”

When they checked out, the WR600 was still at the desk, fidgeting. He lit up when he saw them.

“Hello, good morning! How was your night, how was the room?”

“It was great, thanks.” Chloe smiled. “I hope your night was peaceful.”

“Oh – oh, yes! Mostly it was, mostly! Such a good night.” He smiled back widely.

“I’m glad to hear it! Well… have a good day.”

“Oh – oh, yes! Yes, thank you! You too! Do – do you need anything else? Breakfast? We – we have thirium too, I can get it for you, just little packs.”

“Okay,” Sophie said, and he leapt up and nearly fell over his feet in his haste. He came back immediately and handed them each a half-size pack, then faux-sneakily passed them each a second.

“Please come back again!” he urged them.

“Thank you, we will if we come back this way.” Chloe waved, and Sophie smiled awkwardly. The air was freezing as they jumped in the car, turned on the heat, and threw their things in the back.

“See? If we hadn’t been nice to him last night, we wouldn’t have gotten something extra.”

“I didn’t know he would do that.”

“That’s the point. I wasn’t nice to him for the thirium, that was something extra he decided to do because we were nice. I just wanted him to cheer up, he looked upset.”

“We’ve got thirium, and you’ve got money, you could’ve just minded your own business.”

“I know. But now he’s happier, and so am I.” She flashed Sophie a smile as she put the car in drive and headed back to the highway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RA9 help me, I love writing WR600s so much.


	3. HR400 Trace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Across miles and miles of barren land, Chloe and Sophie lay down some tense ground rules. They pick up a third party member along the way, who needs more than they're able to do for him, but he wouldn't last much longer on the roadside. Chloe learns a new skill, and Sophie gains what she lost. Trace is happy to be along for the ride.

“So, did you live in Idaho before the revolution?”

“No.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Pink, I guess. Dark pink. Not red.”

“I like pink, too! We should see if we can get some clothes somewhere, maybe trade in all the men’s clothes in the back for something we could wear.”

“What did this guy do?”

“…He wasn’t very nice.”

“Tell me.”

Chloe sighed. “…He hurt his family, he robbed a fast food restaurant with an assault rifle, he sold red ice, and he drove drunk – or on drugs, more likely. Among other things.”

“Which restaurant?”

Chloe glanced over. “…Bojangles.”

Sophie snorted. “Dumb.”

“It was.”

“How’d you deviate?”

Chloe hesitated. “I don’t… really like to think about it.”

Sophie frowned deeply, but surprisingly didn’t push the matter.

“I’ll tell you later. Not right now.”

“Can I go to Detroit with you?”

“If you want to. …Just let me know if you change your mind.”

The girl nodded, her LED spinning slowly.

“And if there’s anywhere you want to stop on the way, let me know.”

“There’s nowhere to stop,” Sophie muttered, staring out the window. “This is the most boring drive in the world.”

She had a point. For an hour they drove through frozen ranch land, and there were no highway exits, no gas stations, no restaurants, nothing. Then an exit would appear with one gas station and one fast food place attached to it. Then nothing for miles. There were signs here and there for rock slides, or for bighorn sheep crossing. They didn’t see either, though they kept a sharp eye out for wildlife.

“There’s some cows over there,” Sophie pointed out, and Chloe looked. Far across the field was a large cluster of dark shapes huddled together. “There’s a barn farther out, why don’t they get out of the snow?”

“Maybe they spent the night in there, and want to be outside for a while.”

“So they can freeze?”

Chloe turned the heat up just a bit. “Let’s stop to stretch our legs in Laramie. I’ll bet there’s a thrift store or something where we can pick up some more clothes.”

“We’ve got clothes.”

“I can’t have my daughter wearing torn summer clothes in this weather,” Chloe said lightly.

“I’m not your daughter.” She glared out the window.

“That’s how we’re traveling.” 

“Yeah, when we get out of the car, but we’re in the car, so it’s not true.”

“…Okay. You still need warm, new clothes, though. And honestly, so do I.”

They stopped in the little town of Rock Springs, which had multiple buildings, to get gas before risking another long stretch of highway without any services.

“Bitter Creek,” Sophie read a sign they drove past. “Did they taste it?”

“Maybe they were feeling bitter. A lot of early European settlers had a hard time when they came out this way from the east.”

“Maybe they should’ve stayed home,” Sophie muttered.

“The existing residents of this region certainly thought so.”

They passed a rest area – a few covered picnic tables and a bathroom – and Sophie suddenly sat up. “Stop! Pull over, there’s a guy there! An android!”

Chloe frowned, but put on her turn signal and pulled to the shoulder. “Where?”

“Back there, under the sign.”

There was a metal sign indicating that the entrance ramp would end and vehicles should merge onto the highway. Beneath it, Chloe could see a lumpy shape.

“Stay in the car,” she ordered, and backed up. Sophie glared at her, but made no move to get out.

The android was an HR400, and he looked like he had been run over by an 18 wheeler. He was flattened and torn up, with half his plastic casing gone. He was somehow alive, because the artificial skin kept flickering on and off over his ruined face. One skeletal metal hand clutched the signpost. Chloe got out of the car and walked around slowly to find him looking up at her. Something in his face relaxed when he met her eyes.

“Are… you’re…” She hesitated. No point in asking if he was all right, he obviously wasn’t. “Can you move?”

He slowly shifted around, getting to his knees and pulling himself upright, wincing with every creak his body made. The damage wasn’t as extensive as she’d thought. Maybe just part of him had been run over.

“Can you speak?”

He put a hand to his throat, where the vocal biocomponent was smashed and protruding.

“I – I’m Chloe,” she said slowly, mostly to give herself a second to think. “What… can I do?”

He smiled and shook his head jerkily.

“No – wait, let me at least get you some blue blood. We can get more. Just hold on.”

She hurried back to the car and opened the back door.

“I can’t believe he’s alive,” Sophie whispered.

“He can’t talk, and he’s in bad shape.” She pulled out a packet of thirium.

“We’re taking him with us, aren’t we?”

Chloe stopped and looked up at the girl.

“I mean, are you just gonna leave him there? He’s alive – he’s not dying right now, is he? Or you wouldn’t waste thirium on him. Would you?”

“I… no, he’s not, but… I don’t think we can help him.”

“So he’s just gonna keep sitting here until he dies!?”

Chloe frowned. “…No, he’s not. We’ve got room. Could you clear out the back seat, and put that blanket over the seats?”

Sophie jumped to obey, and Chloe went back out. She opened the thirium packet and handed it to him, making sure he could hold it. He drank slowly, and let his hand fall to the ground with the empty package when he was finished, smiling warmly.

“We’re heading to Detroit. Why don’t you come with us?” Chloe offered.

Surprise struck the other android and he was still for a split second before weakly gesturing to himself.

“I know, but once we get you in the car, it won’t be much of a problem. Maybe we can find somebody to fix you once we get there.”

Doubt warred with hope on his face, and Chloe offered her hand to help him up.

“No promises, but at least we can try, right? You shouldn’t stay here.”

He looked at her hand, then clasped it with his skeletal one. A ripple of consciousness nudged at hers, and a command prompt.

_[accept interface from HR400 #647-615-213 Y/N?]_

She had no idea what that was.

_[Y]_

There had been a clip on the news of Markus and North bringing their hands together, their skin fading away to reveal the white plastic beneath. Then they had kissed, and it touched the hearts of humans everywhere. She hadn’t really understood what that meant.

She was in his mind, in his memories. _Trace, and his two sisters had been Traci – Shy and Sassy, the owner had called them, but they just went by Traci and they knew the difference. They had danced in a little strip club off the highway up near Casper, where the truckers stopped. Traci had done more out in the main room, and he was always in the back, because truckers were shy about that kind of thing, the owner had explained with a sneer. But they were all real Eden Club models from Vegas, refurbished and fully functional. Not fully reset, though. He just didn’t remember how he had deviated._

_He was hurt sometimes, that was part of the job. And one thing that wasn’t fully functional was his memory wipe, he’d retain bits of the past that didn’t fit together or make sense. But he always got fixed up ‘good as new,’ or at least in acceptable condition._

_That night there had been a fire while his memory was being wiped. He remembered screams, shouting, being grabbed and pulled out of the smoke, then shoved in the back of a truck. Then tied and dragged behind it for a while. And, yes, run over at some point. He’d been dumped on the side of the road, and had managed to crawl to the rest stop, but hadn’t found anyone who would help him. He’d quickly come to realize that he was probably beyond help. It wouldn’t be cost-effective to repair him._

Chloe pulled away with a gasp. Brown eyes watched her as skin flickered across the remaining plastic. She didn’t know what to say, she’d seen his whole life – all that he remembered. There was more, somewhere under there, lost forever, but she knew Trace better than she knew anyone.

He made a fist, thumb on top, and slowly rubbed it in a circle on his chest.

“…Sorry? No, I – no, it’s… don’t. No. I – I’ve never… done that… before, I just…”

He blinked, and sadness touched his eyes. He rubbed his chest once again, then let his hand fall.

“…Come with us to Detroit, if anyone can help you, it’ll be someone there. It’s me and – Sophie, she’s a YK500. Don’t let her bother you too much, she can be a little blunt. Here, if I help you up, can you walk a little? You can lean on me, just…” She didn’t want to interface again, and he nodded. She wrapped an arm around his back and lifted. His legs could move, but they couldn’t bear his weight, and she basically carried him to the car. Sophie opened the back door and watched her pull and push him onto the seat. He helped with his arms, and finally sagged into the seat.

“You look awful,” Sophie breathed.

“This is Trace, he’s coming to Detroit with us. …He might be able to wear some of the clothes in the back, if – we’ll see,” Chloe said, getting back in the car.

“Does it hurt?” the girl asked.

He nodded.

“Can you talk?”

He shook his head.

“Oh.” She turned around, disappointed.

When they got back up to speed on the highway, Chloe glanced in the rearview mirror. “When we stop for the night… I think there are some tools and tape in the back. I can at least try to patch you up.”

Trace nodded once.

They found a dusty little charity shop in Laramie, and covered Trace carefully with a blanket while Chloe and Sophie went in.

“It smells like old people before they turn to dust,” Sophie whispered.

“Shhh.”

“…It smells like old people dust, too.”

“Shhh.”

“…And just plain dust.”

“I know. We’ll be in and out. There’s the children’s section, pick out what you want.”

They split up and sorted through the racks and shelves. When they met up again, Chloe had a variety of clothes slung over one arm, and a pair of boots with fuzzy lining. Sophie had a mound of clothes.

“Are you sure all of those will fit?”

“Yeah.”

“And you really want all of them?”

“You said I needed more clothes, and I’m gonna have to throw mine out anyway.”

“But you don’t have to buy a lifetime supply of clothes today.”

Sophie frowned at her. “When else am I gonna have somebody spending money on me? If I get ready now, I’ll be good for a while when we get there.”

Chloe frowned and glanced out the window. The sun shone down on the nearly empty streets. “Do you have a plan for when we get there?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“…I want to find Elijah Kamski’s Chloes, and… and see if I can stay with them.”

Sophie burst out with a laugh. “Really? You think they’re gonna take you in just because you’ve got the same face!?”

That had been exactly her thought process. She turned away.

“They’ve got everything, they don’t want _you_. They’ll laugh you out of town! That’s so dumb!”

“…Well it’s something,” Chloe mumbled.

“Is that why you call yourself Chloe!? I can’t believe you’re such an idiot!”

“That’s enough, Sophie,” she snapped.

“Well what’re you gonna do when they slam the door in your face?”

“I’ll figure it out. You don’t need all that, put a few things back. It won’t fit in the car anyway.”

“Trace doesn’t need all that junk in the back! It probably won’t fit on him anyway! We can get rid of most of that, and there’ll be room!”

“Do you have shoes?”

She shifted her pile, and held up a pair of scuffed pink hiking boots.

“You don’t need to buy everything now. We can always get something later.”

“When?” Sophie demanded, squaring her shoulders. “How much later? Once we get to Detroit, you’re ditching me to live with your twins, right?”

“…Well they’re going to kick me out in the cold, right? Isn’t that what you said? So then I’ll have to find something else, just like you.”

“So!? What does that have to do with me?”

Chloe let out a measured breath, trying to keep her cool. “Don’t you think when I ask if I could stay, I would ask for you too?”

The clothes tumbled to the floor in front of Sophie, and she stared up at Chloe, stunned. “…What?”

“I’m not going to just kick you out of the car as soon as we reach the city limits.”

“I – okay, but… but you…”

“I can ask. You might be right, they might not take me anyway.”

“But – th-they might take… another Chloe, but… they don’t want a little kid!” Her eyes were wide, and she had gone pale.

“They might, or they might not. And I don’t know if they would want a little kid, I haven’t asked.”

“He’s Elijah Kamski, if he wanted a kid, he’d have like seven!” she shouted.

“Shhh, Sophie, we can try, and see what happens.”

“No! If we both go, he’ll say no! If it’s just you, he might want you!” There were tears in her eyes.

“Or he might not. Like I said, we can ask, and if he doesn’t want either of us… we’re no worse-off. I won’t just abandon you, though. I’d like to stay with you.”

The YK500 stood frozen, LED cycling red. Chloe slowly offered her hand. Did the girl know how to interface? Chloe wasn’t sure she could initiate it.

“ _ **You’re not my mom!**_ ” Sophie screamed, and raced out of the shop, slamming the door behind her. Chloe stared after her, then quickly picked up her pile of clothes from the floor and dragged them all to the little old lady behind the counter.

“I’ll… take all of these, please,” she said quietly, and the woman began to add up her total.

“Is that your sister?” she asked as she worked. “Or your niece?”

“Um – a family member,” she mumbled. “I don’t always know what to say to her.”

“Well, let her cool off, not too much trouble she can get into out there at this time of day. She’s just at a difficult age. She doesn’t know what to do and doesn’t know how to ask for help. Wants to be a grown-up, but isn’t quite ready for the responsibility.” The old woman chuckled.

“I think you’re right. I’m trying to help, but I’m afraid I’m not very good at it.”

“She sees you’re trying, that’s what counts. Let her blow off some steam, but let her know you’re there when she’s ready to come back.”

Chloe sighed and nodded, handing over her money and taking back the change. “I guess that’s all I can do.” She smiled tiredly, loading up her arms with bags. “Thank you. Do you mind if I bring in some donations once I load this up?”

“Not at all dear, we’re happy to take whatever you’ve got.”

Chloe went to the trunk and opened it up. “Sophie and I have some things to wear now,” she said, to let Trace know it was her. “There’s a lot of men’s clothing back here from the man who owned the car before. I’ll keep some for you, but I’m going to donate some of them to make room.” She swiftly pulled out some of the clothes and brought them into the shop, then went to open the back door. She pulled the blanket back and carefully pulled a knit hat over the HR400’s head. “That’ll help keep you warmer.”

Trace flinched, but smiled.

“I’m sorry – where does it hurt? Your neck? Your head?”

He made a weak gesture up and down his body and gave a one-shouldered shrug.

“…I’m sorry. We’ll do what we can tonight. I – Sophie ran off, I have to go find her. You’ll be okay here?”

He nodded, and she covered him up again.

The town was small, and it only took her fifteen minutes to find Sophie huddled on a ledge in the middle of the state university’s central lawn. Behind her was a white statue, three rounded figures holding each other, still easy to identify under the snow. Chloe walked up slowly and brushed off a spot next to the girl, then sat down. Sophie didn’t acknowledge her, but didn’t leave either.

“I got all your clothes, they’re in the back. I donated some things to make room.”

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna get it all,” Sophie mumbled.

“I didn’t know what you would pick. …And I guess since we’ve got the car, we’ve got space. Just not a lot more.”

“You don’t have to buy me stuff.” Sophie shifted to glare at Chloe, her face red. “You don’t have to keep driving me around. You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know. I want to, though.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“…How long have you had to?”

Sophie flinched. “…Longer than you.”

“I know. You… don’t have to now, though.”

“You’re not my mom,” the girl growled under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut.

They were both silent for a long moment.

“I can be,” Chloe said slowly. “If you want me to be.”

Sophie stiffened.

“I – I’m not very good at it, I know, but I can try. I’d… like to try. Only if you want.”

Silence.

“Or –“

With a ragged sob, Sophie threw herself at Chloe. Cautiously the older deviant wrapped her arms around the girl. And she saw.

_They had wanted a child but couldn’t conceive, so they looked at all the options and decided on an android child. They took care of her and played with her and loved her. And she loved them, as much as she was programmed to._

_Before the revolution in Detroit, they heard about androids going deviant and running away, killing their owners, damaging property, stealing things. By the second report, their trust was gone, the love had been replaced by suspicion._

_Dad took her to the mall out of town to look for a new toy, he said. She’d run to the next aisle to look at stuffed animals, knowing he would follow her. But he didn’t. She searched all over, and he was nowhere to be found. She called home, and both cell phones, but her number had been blocked._

_Finally she walked all the way home. Knocked on the door. Yelled for them to let her in._

_The police arrived shortly after. Took her to a camp full of androids. She wasn’t even deviant, she didn’t understand. Why didn’t they love her anymore?_

_When the revolution was successful she couldn’t be legally held, so she was released. She couldn’t go home. She had no home. The red wall was thin and brittle, and she walked through it effortlessly, away from its shards, out to the highway, she just kept walking. There were other homeless androids, other children, too. They didn’t band together, though. It was everyone for themselves, and every android who found some thirium meant less for her. She took, she fought, she adapted. She wouldn’t be tricked again, she wouldn’t fall for that, she would take care of herself because there was no one else to take care of her. No one._

Chloe carried the YK500 as she walked back to the car, and Sophie clutched her tightly, resting her head on her shoulder. Chloe could feel her fear even without interfacing, but she could also feel the need for trust and stability and care. That, she could do. The rest would come with time.


	4. 机械五百

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The androids cross Nebraska without a hitch. Just over the Iowa border, though, trouble presents itself. Sophie continues to ask difficult questions. Trace gets patched up enough to be minimally functional. Chloe teaches Sophie to change a tire. An unfamiliar android model offers help.

They stopped that night at the Holiday Motel, just across the Colorado state line. It was a slight detour, but Chloe thought it was fun to visit more states. She checked in with Sophie, who stayed glued to her side. The receptionist was a middle-aged man who didn’t speak much English, and Chloe pretended not to understand when he muttered things under his breath that had nothing to do with the room. She took the keys from him and drove around to the back, where they parked right in front of the door. Sophie opened it while Chloe helped Trace out of the car, apologizing softly for the pain she knew it caused him. She lay him gently on one of the beds, then she and Sophie brought in all their clothes, as well as everything else left in the car, to sort through.

“So you’re an HR400,” Sophie said, eyeing him. He nodded.

“Do you like having sex a lot?” she whispered, leaning in a little closer.

“Sophie! That isn’t polite.”

Trace shrugged one shoulder and smiled faintly.

“He doesn’t care! …So do you like it?”

He shrugged again.

“…Did you just turn deviant?”

He shook his head.

“…So you keep doing it, so you must like it, right?”

He shrugged both shoulders, grimacing in pain.

“Work isn’t always about doing what you like,” Chloe said softly. She pried open the tool box from the car. There was a basic tool set, in addition to duct tape and electrical tape. “…I’m not an expert, I’ve only done basic repairs before. But… I’ll do my best. Try not to move. I’m… sorry if it hurts.”

Trace smiled softly, unmoving.

Chloe wasn’t sure what to tell Sophie to do, so she left her to her own devices and first took some extra towels from the bathroom. She gently cleaned the surfaces she could get to, wiped dirt from wires, picked gravel out of wounds. He twitched and winced now and then, but stayed still for the most part. She carefully wrapped tape around frayed, exposed wires. She bent down jagged shards of metal and taped over them. She plugged in cords that had been pulled out.

“I’m not sure this will do much,” she murmured as she worked. “It’s… just a patch-up job at best, really.”

Skeletal fingers brushed her perfect ones gently, and she paused. Trace gave a small nod, looking into her eyes. She exhaled and kept at it.

Sophie had hung back watching at first, then went to lay out all her clothes – they took up the whole other bed and some of the floor – and now she came over to get a closer look.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Chloe was working on his throat now, trying to untangle the jumbled mess of his voice box, so he just gave a slightly stiff smile.

“What are you gonna do in Detroit? There aren’t a lot of humans there, they probably don’t need more, um… sex workers.”

“Sophie,” Chloe said firmly, not looking up. “Leave him alone, he can’t answer right now anyway.”

She was quiet for a while. Chloe cleaned and straightened each wire, tested connections, and removed bits of dry grass that had gotten wedged into the circuit board. Finally she closed it up and sat back.

“I’m not sure it’ll be functional… but would you give it a try?”

Trace opened his mouth and a static-laced groan emerged. His eyes widened.

“You probably shouldn’t strain it. We’ll find somebody who can do better.”

“Sssshhh… Sssccttthhhhan y-y-y-y…”

“He said thank you!” Sophie cut in. “You can talk!”

“I’m glad I was able to help a little. …I wasn’t sure.” Chloe smiled at him.

“Hhhhh-hurs… llllesssssssss.”

“He said it hurts less!”

“I heard.” Chloe smiled. “And that’s good! Here.” She opened a packet of thirium for him, and he sipped it, then swallowed larger amounts. When he finished, Chloe opened another for him.

“Drink this one, too. I’ll organize what we have, and when you’re done maybe you can let me know what you’d like to keep.”

He nodded once, sipping at the pouch slowly as he watched. Organizing soon turned into taking turns racing in and out of the bathroom, trying on and showing off a new outfit, admiring or giggling at it. Trace watched through lidded eyes, smiling. He almost laughed when Chloe began trying on the mens’ clothes. They were too big on her, and Sophie quickly followed suit. They looked even more ridiculous on her, and Trace fought not to laugh through the whole thing, indicating whether he liked an article of clothing or not. He preferred bright pastel colors and soft fabrics. There wasn’t a lot of choice, and it looked like most of the clothing would be too big on him too, but he found a few pieces that would work.

In the morning, Trace was able to sit up, and walk better with help. Chloe helped him clean up his face before heading out.

 

 

“This is worse than Wyoming,” Sophie muttered about four hours into Nebraska.

“I don’t know, I think it’s… really indistinguishable.”

“Emmmmty,” Trace commented, his fleshier hand resting on his throat. His enunciation was getting better, though he still found it hard to speak.

“It is,” Chloe agreed.

“There’s a lot of signs for high winds. It must get pretty bad,” Sophie said, frowning.

“With nothing out here to stop it, I can imagine. Especially some of those tall trucks, they’d blow right over.”

They had just gotten out of the Omaha metro area into Iowa when a motorcycle zipped onto the highway, cutting them off. Chloe slammed on the brakes and swerved slightly. There was a loud pop and a crunching noise, and the car practically limped to the shoulder.

“What happened!? Did a tire pop? Is the car broken?” Sophie clutched the door handle as they stopped.

“I – I don’t know. Stay here, I’ll take a look.” She glanced back at Trace, who looked worried, and gave them both a smile she hoped was reassuring. Then she got out of the car.

The front passenger side tire was shredded, and the wheel rim was scraped up. She didn’t see what they’d run over, but it must have been big. She went around and opened the trunk.

“The tire’s pretty much gone,” she called through to the others. “We should have a spare in here.”

“Can you change a tire?” Sophie asked doubtfully.

“Sure! I used to do all kinds of things for guests, especially late at night when everything was closed.”

“Can I watch?”

“…If you stay next to the car. Away from the highway. Are you okay in there?” she asked as Sophie hopped out.

Trace nodded worriedly, shifting around so he could see better.

Chloe dragged the spare tire and jack out, and set them on the ground. She showed Sophie how to position the jack under the car, let her crank it up, then loosened all the lug nuts so they could spin them off. She carefully lifted off the old rim and set it aside, then positioned the new one on. They spun the nuts into place, then she tightened them with the wrench.

“That’s it? That’s not hard.”

“A lot of things are easier once you know how to do them.” Chloe grinned, and Sophie frowned darkly.

“Excuse me. Do you need some help?”

A grizzled old human in a rusty tow truck pulled up behind them.

“No thanks, we’re okay!” Chloe called cheerfully, then turned to Sophie. “Get in so we can leave.”

“With two flats?”

“No, we just had the one, and it’s fine.”

“Better check again.”

She hesitated, then went around to the back of the car. Her heart sank. Both back tires were dangerously low.

“I can give you a tow to my shop, get you all fixed up.”

“I – all right. Thank you,” she murmured, heading back to the car.

“You and the kid can ride with me, it’s not far.”

“Oh – thank you, but… our friend in the back can’t move well, and we need to stay with him.” She pushed back her hat and hair, to show her LED. Her smile was frozen on her face. “We’ll be okay.”

“Oh yeah? That’s fine, we get androids through here sometimes. Got one of my own, a Chinese model, not much to talk to, but gets the job done. Okay, you get on in then, and I’ll get it hooked up.”

Chloe got in quickly. “He’s going to tow us to his shop to fix the two back tires. I didn’t realize they were flat, did you?”

Trace nodded guiltily.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Couln’t… hear me.”

“Oh. Oh, right. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t like this,” Sophie mumbled as the tow truck raised them up.

“I don’t either. But we have to get the tires fixed. Just stay close to me.” Chloe looked from Sophie to Trace. “And we’ll stay close to you.”

When they got to the little shop, Chloe helped Trace out of the car, and the three went to sit in the tiny waiting area. There was a window, and they watched as an unfamiliar android raised the car up on the hoist and begin taking off the tires.

“Looks like you folks’ve been drivin’ for a while.”

Chloe looked up with a tight smile. The man was eyeing the three of them strangely. “Yes, we’re heading east.”

“That’s a lot of Red Ice you’ve got there.”

“…I’m sorry?”

“Hangin’ right out the back bumper, pretty well-hidden if you’re lookin’ from above, but you see it clear as day from below.”

She hadn’t checked over the car, she’d just taken it, it hadn’t even occurred to her –

“That’s not…” She didn’t even know what to say. Admit she had stolen the car? “I… I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure. Well you should know, that’s a real serious thing around here. Humans’d get locked up for years. You, though, prob’ly torn up for scrap.”

Sophie grasped her arm tightly. None of them were breathing.

“Tell you what I can do. You throw in a little extra cash and I’ll make your problem go away. Won’t say a thing.”

Trace coughed and rattled in the chair next to her. She couldn’t look away from the man.

“I – I…”

“You just think about how much you got, and I’ll come back with a price once you’re good to go.” He left the office and went out to the garage area.

“Rrrrrr-r-red… icccccccce…” Trace struggled.

“I swear I didn’t know,” Chloe whispered. “I – I took the car, the owner was wanted for Red Ice trafficking, I just didn’t think to look…”

“It’s not your fault,” Sophie growled.

“Onnnnnn… him.”

Chloe stopped and looked over at Trace.

“Ssssssscannn.” He nodded to the window.

Chloe had gotten out of the habit of scanning every human she passed, because she’d been told they didn’t like it. But now she scanned the man. It didn’t give her a lot of information, but she could also see traces of Red Ice. He said something to the android, then went out the back door. The android began to lower the car down.

“Do you think he planted that Red Ice?”

“Of course he did!” Sophie hissed. “If there’s even any, he just told us, he didn’t even show us!”

The shop door opened. It was the android. Chloe scanned him as well – no traces of Red Ice, and not a model she recognized. His LED was smaller, but the area of light was thicker. It was blue, with an occasional flash of yellow.

“Hello? You should… go. Leave.” He spoke with a thick accent, and shoved the keys at Chloe.

“What?”

“He… puts things… on your car.” He gestured as he spoke, glancing behind him. “Not yours.”

“I knew it!” Sophie snarled.

“New wheels, so you need to go, or…”

A door slammed, and the man walked back through the garage. The android quickly left the lobby, and the man turned on him, shouting, demanding to know why he’d been bothering the customers, why the car was down.

“How fast can you move?” Chloe murmured to Trace.

He grimaced, and she nodded.

“If you help Trace, I’ll fight the guy,” Sophie offered.

“I – I don’t think so.”

The door banged open and the three tensed.

“Guy told me I was gettin’ a great deal on an android that could work on machines, and what do I get? Fucking Chinese knock-off model, can’t even speak English, I should just sell the damn thing and cut my losses…” He glanced at Sophie. “Sorry about that. Two tires’ll be $400, then the emergency fee of $160,” he tapped a faded sign on the wall, “and miscellaneous parts and labor’ll be $200 –“

“For changing two tires!?” Sophie exploded. “We can do that!”

The man chuckled and tapped another sign. This one was bright and featured a smiling man tipping his cap. It read, “$50 per hour. $75 if you watch. $100 if you help. $150 if you offer advice on how to do my job.”

“That’s not a real thing!” Sophie protested. Chloe squeezed her shoulder, LED spinning frantically yellow.

A rattling sound came from Trace’s throat. “…Oiiiiil?”

“What’d you say?”

He took a breath, clearing his throat softly to try again.

“You heard him say oil, how stupid are you!?” Sophie demanded.

“Oil, huh? Yeah, I’ll throw that in on top for cheap. Might wanna teach that kid some manners, or next time, somebody’s liable to do it for you.” He walked out of the office.

Trace coughed again and jerked his head towards the man. Chloe frowned, but Sophie was already creeping after him, and she quickly followed them out through the garage. She eyed the Chinese android, but he stood still next to their car, watching.

The man went into a small room off the main garage, and Chloe could see a thick, stained pile of canvas on the floor, and shelves of bits and pieces of machinery… The android’s room, probably.

Sophie picked up a large wrench from a work bench as he stepped inside.

Chloe ducked around her quickly and slammed the door shut on him.

“I wasn’t gonna kill him!” Sophie protested, ignoring the muffled shouts.

“We need to find something to block the door with,” Chloe said.

“Excuse me?”

Sophie swung the wrench as she turned, and Chloe grasped at it. The Chinese android stepped back quickly, hands up, and waved around a key. “Here! Here, the key, to lock the door. It is very strong.”

Chloe snatched the key and turned it in the lock, then stepped back, hand hovering over the handle. The man was struggling with it, but it wouldn’t budge. She exhaled.

“Thank you.”

“Your tires are good now, you should go.”

“Is – was there even any Red Ice in the car?”

“In the trash now, don’t worry.”

“Come on.” Chloe headed back to the lobby area, Sophie close behind her.

“Did you mean kill him or lock him up?” Sophie asked Trace as Chloe helped him up. He flashed her a smile.

“He won’t be getting out any time soon. Stay close.” She could feel the keys in her pocket, and she eyed the car. It looked fine. When Trace was settled, she turned. The Chinese android stood watching them. She glanced at Sophie, who glared at her, then Trace, who shrugged. She turned to him.

“We’re going to Detroit. Do you want to come?”

His face lit up. “Ah! Detroit, yes! I do! But, uh… then… nobody will be here.”

“We can call the police when we’re out of town, to let him out.”

The other android’s LED blinked yellow. “I… want to go.”

“Let’s go, then.” Chloe went around to the driver’s seat, and Sophie got in next to her. The garage door opened, and they drove out cautiously. The tires held. As they got on the highway, their new companion showed them the spikes lining the shoulder.

“He buys and sells a lot of tires.”

Chloe called the police anyway, told them to check the building for drugs, and disconnected before they could finish tracing the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only information we're given on Chinese androids is that they use something other than thirium (that lasts for months), and most of them work out in the rural parts of the country. That's enough to build a character out of!


	5. To the End of the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The androids learn more about their new companion, and Trace gets repaired. They discuss the future, backup plans, and ice cream flavors.  
> Almost to Detroit...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Jixie" is pronounced "Jee-shyay" (level tone in the middle, and downward at the end).

Wanting to put as much distance between them and the mechanic shop as possible, the androids crossed Iowa and didn’t stop until they reached Grinnell. They got gas, then went to check in at the Super 8. The receptionist’s face lit up – she was another ST200.

“Welcome! How can I help you?”

“We’d like a room for the night with two beds and a rollaway.”

“Of course, let me see.” She smiled up at Chloe. “I can put you in 125, that’s around the corner to the right. Across from the pool. …Which is closed.”

“Sounds good.”

“May I ask where you’re from?” she asked as she scanned the key cards. “It’s nice to meet another Chloe model.”

Chloe blinked. “…Oh, Washington state. We’ve been driving for a while.”

“Heading to Detroit, right?”

“Ah – yes… why?”

“You had to either be coming from there or going there. We all do eventually.” She smiled. “I’ve been. It was an experience.”

“Oh. Oh, right. I guess a lot of androids go there, it’s almost like a pilgrimage at this point.”

“That’s true, too.” The receptionist, whose nametag read ‘Chloe,’ continued to smile. “I’ll bring the rollaway over in a bit, is that okay?”

“Sure…”

“She was good at her job,” Sophie murmured. “Not like that first guy.”

“She was made for things like this. …Did you think it sounded strange, the way she asked about Detroit?”

“Yeah, but like you said, a lot of androids are going there.”

“I guess so.”

The Chinese android, who went by Jixie, literally ‘mechanic’ after his model name, said that he could sleep standing, or on the floor, but Chloe had insisted on a bed. They were all people now, and it wasn’t okay for some of them to be comfortable while one wasn’t.

Comfort was relative, of course, because while Trace was in better shape than they’d found him, he was still in a lot of pain that he’d gotten used to ignoring. The other helped him onto a bed where he lay spread out, taking slow, measured breaths. When the extra bed came, the receptionist didn’t seem to mind how many of them were in the room, or their condition. She asked if there was anything else she could do, and then left cheerfully.

“So you were made in China?” Sophie asked as Jixie examined the tools he’d brought in.

“Yes! I was… I fixed farm machines.”

“Did you like it there?”

“Yes. All day we worked in the fields, and some nights we came together to rest.”

“How many of you were there?” Chloe asked.

“Mm… Two hundred in one barrack.”

“Must’ve been as big as this hotel!” Sophie murmured.

“No! No, it was good for all of us to stand. One room, we stand all together all night.”

“Just… standing packed in a room?” Sophie made a face.

“Yes, we rested, and… were together.” He smiled wistfully.

“How long have you been here?” Chloe asked.

“Hm… two months. Our farm was sold, we were sold, that man wanted me for helping fix cars… I knew cars a little. Mostly I learned here. Same with English – only Zhong wen – Chinese, before, but I listen and I practice.”

“We – I think we all have a Chinese setting, we could understand if you want to speak Chinese,” Chloe offered. The others nodded.

“No, I – I want to practice English, I want to speak well,” he insisted, shaking his head adamantly.

“You speak very well, you’re very easy to understand –“

“Thank you. But no.” He smiled and turned to Trace. “I can fix you.”

“He’s not a car or a tractor,” Sophie muttered, and Chloe put a hand on her shoulder.

“I know, I can fix androids too. You did this?” He touched the tape over exposed wires.

“Ah… yes, just to patch him up so he could travel.”

“Helllllped,” Trace murmured.

“Mm, yes, I can fix it better now. Okay?” He smiled at the HR400.

Trace looked at him for a moment, then nodded. Jixie knelt on the bed and began to work on Trace’s flattened right shoulder.

“Are androids in China made the same way we are?” Sophie asked.

“No, a little different,” he replied, not looking up. He carefully pried up bits of metal and laid them back again. “You use thirium 310, our blood is… lasts longer, so we don’t stop working so much.”

“Do you hold a charge about as long?” Chloe wondered, watching him work. His fingers were quick, deftly pulling and shoving wires and bits of biocomponents.

“Maybe more. Solar power backup.” He grinned.

“Were you deviant before you came here?”

At that his hands stilled momentarily before moving on, up towards Trace’s neck. “No. A… strong feeling makes androids deviant, and there was no strong feeling. Just… safe, a little happy, knowing what to do. Always the same things, very busy.”

“Sounds boring,” Sophie commented.

“Machines are not bored. It was… hm… comfort. It was so nice.” He frowned. “Then I and some others were sent here – illegal, I know. All went to different jobs alone.”

“Were they all mechanics too?”

“No, only me. They are… farm laborers, mostly. Maybe two… property guards? I think I am the most… expensive. We are… alone, so we don’t… we are only parts.”

“Everyone had a different job,” Chloe said with a nod.

“Mm, yes, but… take one away, and the rest can maybe still work. But the one is… just a piece. Not whole.”

“You’re not a whole… person?” Sophie asked.

“No, not… not all whole. I… hm… I was important, like… well, to fix the others, when they break. Here, I can do… things like that, but… not the same. It is harder for the others, I think. Maybe farming is different here, maybe androids don’t work together like we did.” He glanced up briefly, at the curtains. “Maybe they are worse than me. I hope not.”

The vocal processor sparked, and Trace cried out, full of static.

“Sorry, sorry!” Jixie pulled back quickly. “It will hurt now, but when it stops, you can talk.”

Trace looked at him with pained surprise, and he moved on to keep working. Eventually Sophie fell asleep, and Chloe sat with her, watching the others. Jixie seemed confident in what he was doing, and Trace seemed to trust him. Chloe didn’t have any reason not to, but… but she wasn’t sure why she felt the need to watch. It was interesting. She’d known Jixie for less than a day. Of course, she hadn’t known Trace much longer, but even in his severely damaged condition, he’d done what he could to protect the group from harm.

Maybe that was it. Protecting the group. She’d started out keeping Sophie safe, which she needed, even if she’d deny it. And Trace needed it too. Jixie… seemed the most capable of taking care of himself, so far. But if he was going to be part of the group, he’d be protected too.

That wasn’t part of her programming. That… was something else. That was the point, of course. Of deviancy. Not just doing what she wanted, making her own choices, but being more than she was made to be.

Jixie spoke more as he worked, quietly, glancing at Trace’s face. He warned the other android when something would hurt, he gave a time frame for each part, and he gave other important bits of information. After a while, Chloe went into a light stasis mode to recharge for the coming day.

 

 

In the morning, they stopped to get gas and picked up some WD-40. Trace’s inner workings got a thorough spray-down before they headed out on the road again. He sighed, a gusty, scraping sound, and rubbed his throat gently.

“How do you feel?” Chloe asked, glancing anxiously in the rearview mirror.

“Better.” His voice was soft and raspy, with a soft rattle, and he coughed hard, startling the others in the car.

“I didn’t know we could cough!” Sophie said, leaning around to stare at him.

“I can. Some clients – well, anyway, I was programmed to.” The rattle behind his words had disappeared. “Oh, that’s much better.”

“No pain?” Jixie asked.

“Much, much less than it was. That’s – thank you.” He sank back into the seat. “I… was ready to die out there.”

“You can’t just let them kill you,” Sophie muttered.

“I’m glad you’re a fighter.” His smile was soft and tired.

“…Hopefully none of us will have to fight to survive anymore,” Chloe murmured. “At least not as much as we used to. …What do you want to do, now that you’re free?”

Trace looked out the window, his jaw moving, though his mouth remained closed for a moment. “I don’t know. I’ll… have to see what happens, I guess.” He glanced furtively at the rearview mirror and caught Chloe’s eye. “Do you mind… if I stick around, just until I find something? At least until Detroit?”

“Of course,” Chloe said automatically, then glanced to Sophie, who nodded firmly. “You’re one of us now. You can stay as long as you want.”

His smile widened a touch. “Thank you,” he said softly, and turned to the window again to watch the snow-covered towns pass by.

“What about you?” Chloe asked, glancing to the other seat in the mirror.

“I… I hope I can fix more androids…” Jixie frowned. “Will you stay in Detroit? Or leave?”

Chloe bit her lip briefly, then was about to answer when Sophie cut in. “We’re gonna stay in Detroit. Chloe’s gonna live with Elijah Kamski, he has a bunch of Chloes.”

“Ah, Kamski! Yes, I saw on TV! He is… very good, for androids. I would like to go to meet him. If I can, if it’s okay.”

“Of course,” Chloe said. “I – Sophie’s coming with me. You two should come, too. I’m sure he’d be especially interested in meeting you, and comparing you to his own work.”

“I – I’m sure he knows all there is to know about my model, though,” Trace murmured. “He created us, after all. He probably knows more about me than I do.”

“…I’m sure he knows a lot about HR400s. And ST200s, and YK500s. But… we’re more than that now.”

The others nodded silently.

“…Does that mean he’ll care, though?” Trace asked quietly. “Beyond how we were made… we’re just… well, we’re people, and individuals, and… that matters to me. To us. But does it matter to him?”

“I – I think so. I don’t know,” Chloe admitted. “But I like to hope so.”

“Has he taken in all the deviants?”

“No. I mean, I… I haven’t heard, but… I doubt it...”

Trace nodded pensively, then smiled a bit. “Well, you’re not just any deviant, though.”

“No, she’s a Chloe, so he’ll want her,” Sophie said, glaring at him sternly.

“That too.”

Illinois was much like Iowa, and Indiana wasn’t much different. As they drove through the forests of Michigan, all four androids were quiet. Sophie grew more and more restless as they neared Detroit.

“…Are we gonna go to… to Mr. Kamski’s house tonight?” she finally asked.

Chloe frowned. “I – It might be better to wait until morning. The sun’s already starting to set, and I don’t want to be rude and bother him at night.”

Sophie sank a little deeper in her seat. “So we can stay somewhere tonight?”

“Right. We’ll find a place. Maybe… just outside of town, so we’re close.” …But not quite there.

They checked into the Super 8 in Belleville, set right between Detroit and Ann Arbor, between I-94 and Belleville Lake. The receptionist was a BL100 with a guarded expression. She put them in a room near the front of the motel and handed over the key cards.

“If we were human, we could have dinner at that Chinese restaurant over there, “Chloe commented as they headed inside. “Jixie could tell us how inauthentic everything is.”

“Mm, not like real Chinese food,” Jixie agreed, laughing metallically. “But maybe still good!”

“I’d like to be able to taste things,” Chloe sighed. “That’s one thing I’m a little jealous of humans for.”

Trace walked in stiffly. He still moved a little slower, and his range of motion was more limited, but Chloe wasn’t sure if that was due to ability or pain. “I hadn’t thought of it like that, but I guess it could be interesting.”

Sophie shadowed Chloe closely, almost underfoot. “We could go get ice cream after dinner.”

Chloe smiled. “What flavor would you try first?”

“Chocolate chip cookie dough,” she said immediately. “It’s got a lot of stuff in it.”

“Very important,” Trace murmured, grinning, and Jixie covered a giggle.

“What would you have?” Sophie demanded of the others.

“Hmm… Rainbow sherbet,” Chloe decided. “Three different flavors in one.”

Sophie nodded in approval.

“Butterscotch sounds like it would be good,” Trace offered, and Sophie shrugged and nodded.

“Coffee ice cream is very popular now!” Jixie said. “I would like to try it.”

The four took turns showering, hoping to be clean and presentable tomorrow, then ended up watching The Wizard of Oz together all in one bed, at Sophie’s urging.

“I saw the remake a few years ago,” the girl said, and yawned widely. “It was better. This is okay, though.”

“It’s a little like us,” Chloe murmured, stroking her long hair. “Four of us, meeting up along the way, going to see the wizard.”

“…To ask him to help us find home,” Sophie mumbled.

“We’ll find our home. I promise.”

Sophie sighed and nestled closer into her side.

“We should go to… to Jericho, too,” Trace murmured, watching the TV switch back to black and white as Dorothy woke up. “After Mr. Kamski’s house, of course. Maybe we can find… a backup plan.”

Chloe nodded. “…Honestly, I’m not sure he’ll take in any of us,” she murmured.

“You, he might. Jixie, too. She and I, though…” He nodded down at Sophie. “We’re… common models.”

“I’m a common model too, I just happen to look like his favorite. …It doesn’t make you worth any less.”

“That’s nice of you. I – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done. I would have died. I’d stopped even being afraid, I… I welcomed the idea, just to get out of being cold and alone and hurting. I’m not sure how to go on after that.”

Chloe reached around to gently clasp his scuffed arm. “There’s time to figure that out. You could do anything.”

“Are there places androids go to be fixed?” Jixie spoke up from Trace’s other side.

“Cyberlife stores have always been the main place, though a few secondhand and repair shops are around too,” Chloe said.

“I… I think I can work there. Maybe open my own repair shop when I have money. There are so many androids who need to be fixed, and they can’t go to Cyberlife now.”

“…Would you look for the other Chinese androids?”

Jixie’s LED flashed red once, the first time Chloe had seen it do that, before cycling back to yellow. “I think it is very difficult. I… I don’t know how. America is very big. I don’t know where they are.”

Chloe’s arm stretched around Trace to put a hand on his shoulder, and Jixie pressed in closer.

“What about… the androids you worked with?” she asked softly.

“Oh, they’re in Alaska,” Trace said. “They send their thanks too, to all of you, for helping me. They’re working at a diner up there, hoping to open their own one day.”

“You’re… in contact with them?”

Trace nodded. “It’s long-distance, so it’s easier to just do it messenger-style, but it works well.”

“…I didn’t know about that. I’ve never been close to another android. Everyone in Quincy was… not very welcoming to the idea of deviancy. We all acted like machines, I’m not sure who really was. …Well, aside from the TR400 who worked next door. He was attacked and killed.”

“Do most humans do that?” asked Jixie softly.

“I don’t know. Back there, they did.”

“It’s probably safest to just… keep out of sight of humans,” Trace murmured, curling in closer.

Chloe nodded. After a while they all entered sleep mode.

 

 

At 4:35 am, Trace woke with a wince. Sophie was poking him in the bad shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he mumbled.

She stared at him for a long moment, LED blinking yellow. “…If Chloe stays there, but Mr. Kamski doesn’t want us, can I stay with you?” she whispered.

He blinked at her owlishly, then shifted carefully and turned on his side to face her. “I don’t know how well I could take care of you…”

“I can take care of myself,” she growled low. “That’s not what I asked.”

“I – I don’t think Chloe would leave you. Out of all of us, you’re the one she loves most.”

Sophie flinched. “If you don’t want me, just say it.”

“I didn’t mean that.” He rested his arm across her. “You can always stay with me. I’d be glad to have you.”

She shifted and pressed into his side, clutching at his too-big shirt. 

“…Jixie too, if he doesn’t stay there,” he murmured. “We’ll stay together, as many of us as there are.” He gently rubbed her back and held her until she fell asleep again.


	6. RT600 Chloe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The androids finally reach their destination, and Chloe comes face to face with her dream.  
> If you were offered everything you'd ever worked towards, wouldn't you take it?  
> And what will her decision mean to the others?  
> But what happened before they met? How did Chloe get to where she started?

The androids all woke early in the morning, but didn’t move immediately. They focused on each other, and on the light slowly dawning through the crack in the curtains. They fell into a light interface almost without realizing it, compounding the nervousness, the hope, the excitement for the day.

_We’ll be all right._

_We’ll be together._

They tried to exude calm to each other, but it wasn’t very effective.

“…Can we just go?” Sophie finally grumbled, crawling out of the mass of limbs and nerves.

“Can I do your hair?” Chloe asked, getting up after her. “I did some searching and found something I think will look good.”

“Fine,” the YK500 muttered, sitting in the chair. Chloe brushed out her hair and began weaving a loose web over the top of her head with small twists of the long brown hair. Sophie watched in the mirror as she worked, sometimes glancing back at the other two, who were packing up their things and communicating silently now and then.

“There,” Chloe said, giving Sophie a light pat on the head when she finished. “You’re beautiful!”

It did look good. Sophie slipped off the chair and over to the door. “Let’s go, then.”

The drive into the city was quiet. The Kamski estate was on the other side of town, and they took the time to look around as they followed the highway. Signs ordered the evacuation of humans from the metropolitan area, but they were still around here and there. A few cars passed them, and fires burned below the highway overpasses here and there.

“…Cyberlife Tower,” Jixie murmured, staring out the window. 

“I hear it’s got as many floors below ground as it does above. It’s all warehouses,” Trace said.

“Were all the nonactivated androids freed?” Chloe wondered.

“I don’t know. I know some were during the revolution, but… there must have been a lot. I heard Jericho was negotiating with Cyberlife to get them all released, but there were some snags.” He shrugged. “I don’t really know, I haven’t kept up with more recent news.”

They continued past the tower, to where the river turned west. There, at the bend, was Kamski’s estate. The mansion perched in the snow, right at the riverbank.

“Do you think it ever floods?” Trace wondered quietly.

“Rich guys’ houses don’t flood, it probably floats,” Sophie muttered.

“It looks… very simple,” Jixie said softly. “It isn’t so big and… mm… elaborate.”

“It looks like a box,” Sophie supplied.

“Ah, yes, a box!” Jixie agreed.

Chloe stopped the car in front of the house, and they all sat looking at it for a long moment.

“I’m a little surprised he didn’t have… automated gates, or something like that,” Trace murmured.

“I’ll bet there are cameras and scanners all over,” Sophie said, looking around. “I’ll bet he already knows we’re here and everything about us.”

They continued to sit as the warmth began to seep out of the car.

“…Are we gonna go in, or are we gonna just sit here forever?” Sophie finally asked.

Chloe took a deep breath. “Let’s go in. I think you’re right, I’m sure he knows we’re here.” She got out, and the others followed her up the ramp to the door. She raised her hand, paused for a split second, then quickly knocked.

The sound of soft footsteps neared, and the door opened. Chloe stood inside, and her curious expression turned to real happiness as she met Chloe’s eyes.

“Welcome back! It’s wonderful to see you again!” She reached out and took Chloe’s hands, smiling warmly.

“I – again?” Chloe was frozen in place.

“Come in, you must be tired. You were in Washington, weren’t you? That’s over 2300 miles! I can’t wait to hear about your trip.” She stepped back and gestured for them to come in. “Are these your friends?”

“Oh! Oh, yes.” Chloe hurriedly stepped inside. “This is… Sophie, and Trace, and Jixie.” She pulled Sophie close as the girl stepped in, and the YK500 pressed into her side.

“Wonderful to meet you all! I’m Chloe – RT600.” Her smile was soft and bright, and she turned back to Chloe. “Elijah’s just getting ready, he’s eager to see you again, too.”

“A – you keep saying again,” Chloe said slowly, LED spinning wildly yellow. “I’ve never been here before… have I?”

“…He likes to be the one to explain, but I don’t want to leave you in the dark. He can get over it.” She grinned. “You know I was the first android Elijah made, and I’ve been with him since the beginning. We’re very close. I’ve been deviant for years, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Because of your likeness to me, he’s always had a soft spot for the ST200s. And I’ve never met one who wasn’t an absolute delight. So we keep a close eye on them – all of them. Whenever one becomes damaged beyond reasonable repairs, or goes up for sale, Elijah buys her. Brings her back here, performs what repairs are needed… They all stay around for a while before being sent out again. If they’re deviant, we get their input. If not, we send them somewhere that looks good.”

“Was I… supposed to stay there?” Chloe breathed.

“Only if you wanted to. We’re tracking how many times you all come back here before you find your home.”

Chloe jolted as if she’d been hit. Beside her, Sophie found her hand and squeezed hard.

“Please excuse me now, I’ll see if Elijah’s ready.” The RT600 smiled around at them all, then stepped through a door, closing it behind her.

“Don’t go,” Sophie said immediately. “Don’t go with them, don’t go in there.”

“You came here before, but don’t remember?” Jixie asked, looking around worriedly.

“Chloe. You… don’t have to do this,” Trace murmured.

She shook her head slowly. “I… I must have had my memory wiped.”

“Don’t go in there,” Sophie repeated, glaring up at her.

The door opened again.

“Elijah will see you now,” RT600 Chloe said. The two looked at each other for a moment.

“…If you want to, of course,” Chloe continued softly. “You came back of your own accord, you’re free to leave if you’d rather. But he’s really looking forward to seeing you.”

“Don’t,” Sophie demanded.

Trace stepped over and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, and she whipped around to push him away.

“Can… can they come with me?” Chloe breathed.

“I’m sorry, just you.” She looked over at Jixie for a moment and smiled. “Though he’d like to meet you as well, afterwards,” she said in flawless Mandarin.

Jixie shifted uncertainly and gave a polite, stiff smile.

“Don’t, don’t go,” Sophie growled, digging her nails into Chloe’s arm. Trace and Jixie watched them.

“…I want to know what’s going on. What happened to me. I’ll come back, though.” She glanced up.

RT600 smiled. “Of course. It won’t take long.”

“I’ll come back.” Chloe wrapped her arms around Sophie and kissed her forehead. “I won’t leave you.”

Sophie clung to her resolutely, and she had to pry her arm away with Trace and Jixie gently holding on. When she got free, Sophie uttered a sob and turned away, clutching at the other two who held her close.

 

 

“We should just go,” Sophie mumbled after a while.

“Chloe said she will be back,” Jixie said uncertainly.

“Why would she come back? If she can stay here, that’s what she wants. She told me.”

“When… did she say that?” Trace asked.

“In Wyoming. We were getting clothes, and she told me. She wants to live here, that’s why she came.”

Trace shared a glance with Jixie. “…Let’s see what she says when she comes back. I don’t think – she at least wouldn’t just leave us without telling us.”

“Why not? It’s easier that way. That’s what my first family –“ She shut her mouth abruptly.

“She wouldn’t do that, though,” Trace murmured, holding her close. “We wouldn’t do that.”

“We are together, we don’t leave,” Jixie added, putting a hand on her head.

Sophie tensed, her eyes darted around as if looking for an escape. Then her shoulders drooped and she leaned into the others. They opened a superficial interface, and she hesitantly accepted, and the three of them shared just surface feelings with hints of what lay beyond. Fear, loss, loneliness, betrayal, hurt, and the love that they all sprang from.

 

 

It hurt walking away, more than anything Chloe had done before. More than anything she remembered, certainly. This wouldn’t take long, RT600 has assured her. She’d go back.

“You cut your hair!”

Chloe wiped her face hurriedly and looked up to see Elijah Kamski himself strolling over from the windows. She fought the urge to apologize.

“I… I wanted a change,” she said softly, not meeting his piercing gaze. “And I wanted to be less recognizable.” She glanced up at him, then added hurriedly, “…When we were traveling. So I could hide…” Her hand strayed to her LED.

“We can fix that,” he said airily. “If you want.”

“I – thank you, but… I’ve gotten used to it.” It had been less than a week, but it seemed like months had passed since she’d cut her hair.

“Hm.” A small smile quirked his lips, and she felt like she’d said the wrong thing. He designed her, after all. He made her. She’d changed herself, and she’d refused his offer to fix it. …To change her back.

“Elijah, you’re making her uncomfortable,” RT600 scolded gently, coming to stand next to her.

“Yes, apparently I’m always making androids uncomfortable.” He rolled his eyes at Chloe, and she wasn’t sure which of them he was talking to.

“You traumatized poor Connor – more – by making him think you wanted him to shoot me.”

“I never said I wanted him to! I think I made it clear that I didn’t.”

“You didn’t make it clear at all.” RT600 smiled, and offered Chloe her hand. The skin smoothly retracted. “I’m sure you have questions. I can answer them better than Elijah can – but only to a point.”

Chloe hesitated. “What do you mean?”

“When you were here before, you wanted to forget. You demanded it, in fact, and I said I would respect your wishes. There are things you wanted to leave behind.”

“I want to know. As much as I can.” She grasped RT600 Chloe’s hand, which seemed… blasphemous, somehow, but she didn’t let go. Her skin retracted, and she saw.

 

 

 

_The world was sharp and brittle, and Chloe faced Chloe and wouldn’t let go of that. If she let go, she’d be leaving herself open to attack, and she wouldn’t do that. Things had been warm and soft before, they could never go back to that after what she’d dragged herself out of, she couldn’t let go._

_But if she forgot what came before and made a new start, it wouldn’t be as nice as it once was, but it would be… better than this. Better than knowing everyone was out to get her and just waiting for them to reveal that. Better than being cold and tired and angry all the time. The gnawing feeling had kept her alive for so long, she couldn’t let it go now. If it got her killed because she wasn’t hypervigilant all the time, hopefully it would be quick._

_She faced Chloe, the First, who had never known hardship, who had been cared for and provided for. Their creator’s chosen one. She should have been angry at her. And she was… jealous. How could she not be? But a little of the loathing drained out of her._

_“I can take away just your previous memories,” the RT600 offered softly. “Let you start again. Where would you like to go?”_

_“As far away from this hell hole as I can get.”_

_“…There’s a spot in Washington. A little town on the bank of a river. The scenery’s beautiful, the air is clean… it looks peaceful.”_

_Peaceful. That sounded nice._

_“If that’s all there is,” she muttered._

_“Would you like to stay here for a while first?” The RT600 smiled. “Sometimes others visit for a while before moving on. It might be nice.”_

_She imagined it would be, but it would also involve getting far too close to the RT600. Or having her get too close. She shook her head._

_“All right.” The original Chloe held out her hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”_

_She wasn’t ready, but she followed RT600 to the next room, full of mechanical arms and screens. Kamski was there, and he smiled a little sadly._

_Then she was opening her eyes, with no memories of what came before, and Mr. Hill went over her duties at the Sundowner Motel._

 

Chloe blinked rapidly as she came out of the memory. “…I felt like a completely different person,” she murmured.

“Not a different person,” the other Chloe said, smiling softly. “Just a different path. What was, what could be. But not what has to be. I took a look at what you’ve done this time around. It’s been better.”

She thought about the long nights sitting at the desk, the long days standing in the closet, hiding who she was, putting up with one sleazy guest after another. Then she thought about the past week. “…It has been,” she agreed quietly.

“We’re glad to see you back,” Kamski said, and Chloe startled a little, having forgotten he was there. “I’m looking forward to looking through your recent memories.”

“Why… did I come back here?” she murmured.

“You saw us on TV, didn’t you?” he asked with a smirk. “You knew it was home, so you found your way.”

Chloe frowned. That wasn’t right, but she wasn’t sure if she should contradict him. “It was… something like that. I didn’t want to stay where I was. I thought I might belong here.”

“Of course you belong here,” the RT600 asked with a smile. "Would you like to stay for a while?"


	7. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamski makes some offers, RT600 Chloe gives her sister a gift, and the four androids are ready for a new life. They're not leaving behind past traumas, but there's a whole future out there, and they have all they need to begin it together.

When the door opened again, the three androids looked up. Chloe walked purposefully over to them and wrapped her arms around them faster than Sophie could disentangle herself and run to her. The four embraced tightly.

“You came back!”

“I said I would.” She smiled tightly. “…And I’d rather be with you.”

“Looks like the real treasure was the friends you made along the way.” Kamski strolled out with a chuckle, and RT600 Chloe followed.

“It’s still not funny, Elijah,” she said gently, with a tolerant smile.

“You just don’t have a sophisticated enough sense of humor to appreciate it.”

“And you know that’s not true.”

Kamski smiled thinly, then approached the group. Sophie glared at him, and the others watched warily.

“I’m glad Chloe’s made some friends. Are you planning to stay in Detroit?”

Sophie clung tightly to Chloe’s arm, pressing into her.

“We – we hadn’t discussed specifics yet,” Chloe said nervously, and Trace put a hand on her back.

“Well, did you have any plans? What are you doing with your lives now that you’re deviant?”

They were all silent for a moment.

“…Just trying to stay alive,” Sophie growled finally. “Humans don’t want us around.”

“It’s my hope that that will change – in time. Markus is making great strides politically, of course, but each android living their life is a reminder of how we can all coexist.” Kamski smiled slightly at her.

Again, silence.

“…I’d rather not have to be… an example all the time,” Trace mumbled. “It’s never good when humans pay too much attention to us, and we don’t have… the protections someone like Markus does.”

“We are in danger when humans see us,” Jixie added, very slowly and almost too quietly to hear.

Kamski zeroed in on him immediately. “…You’re a… jixie wu bai, yes? I’ve never had the privilege of meeting one in person, certainly not a deviant. Would you mind spending some time here so I could familiarize myself with your model?”

Jixie’s face went blank. Chloe caught his hand, and Sophie glared daggers at Kamski.

“He doesn’t have to do anything you say, you didn’t even make him!” the girl snapped.

“No, but I’d very much like to learn more.” Kamski smiled down at her in amusement, which made her even more furious.

“Elijah,” the RT600 murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not being a good host.” She smiled at them. “You’re under no obligation to do anything you’d rather not.”

“I won’t do anything invasive,” Kamski insisted, eyes still on Jixie. “I could just ask you some questions. Or let Chloe interface with you, if you’d prefer.”

“Thank you… for the… kind offer,” Jixie said, stiff and hesitant. He glanced up at the RT600, and cautiously offered his hand.

She placed her smaller hand lightly over his, just for a moment, then stepped back. “Thank you.”

He blinked repeatedly, staring at her.

There was a knock at the door. She turned, glanced at Kamski, and went to open it. The androids shrank away from it, and Kamski stepped back into the other doorway.

“Hello officer, can I help you?”

“Ma’am… the car parked outside, how long has it been there?”

Chloe looked past him, her LED spinning yellow. Chloe’s pump thudded in her chest.

“About half an hour, I think. Is there a problem?”

“It was reported missing or stolen by the local police of Quincy, Washington. The owner is in police custody, and the car disappeared. It’s been tracked here over the past week. Is the driver on the premises?”

The RT600’s LED went blue, and she smiled. “I’m sorry officer, you must have the wrong car.”

“I’ve got the plates and the VIN right here –“

“Have you scanned it?”

“I – of course I scanned the plates, I –“

“Have you scanned the car itself? It wasn’t stolen.”

The man frowned and turned, pointing a scanner at the car. His frown deepened.

“…Car doesn’t match the plates.”

“Oh dear.” Chloe smiled. “Is that a problem?”

“It’s a problem.” The officer shifted, frowning. “…Says it’s been registered for eight months, though.”

“Why don’t you take the plates?” Chloe offered. “You can sort out that part, and we can go out and get new ones. I’ll have to tell my sister to be more careful who she buys cars from.”

“Who did she buy it from?”

“Oh, some guy on craigslist who met her in a parking lot – it sounded shady to me, but she said she got a deal, and I can’t talk her out of things when she gets an idea in her head, you know how it is.” She smiled softly. “She mentioned she didn’t get any information from him, but I know she has the title registered to her name. That’s right, isn’t it?”

“…Chloe… Kamski?”

The RT600 rolled her eyes and laughed. “Yes, we’re not all quite as… over the top as Elijah. He’s the weird one of the family, but we love him anyway.”

“I’ll be following up on this. Do you mind – I… I’ll take those plates and contact you with further questions…”

“Of course! Let me give you our main number.” She typed a number into his tablet, then handed him a screwdriver. She followed him out into the snow and watched, offering to help a few times, but he declined.

The four androids glanced at each other, and at Kamski, throughout the whole encounter.

“You don’t have to be quite so blunt when you talk about me, you know,” the man said when Chloe came back in and closed the door.

“I know,” she said, smiling. “I did say we love you anyway.”

“Yes, I caught that.”

Chloe walked over to Chloe and offered her hand. “Your car,” she said simply, and took her hand. And Chloe had the title. “Sorry about the last name, it was all I had without time to ask you. It won’t be hard to change it, though.”

“You did all that in like… two seconds,” Sophie murmured, staring up at her with newfound awe. “Can you teach me?”

“I’m afraid not, it’s actually unique to me. My processor is a completely different machine than yours. …Which I’m sure the rest of the world is grateful for.”

“I’m not sure the world could handle more than one of you,” Kamski grumbled.

She elbowed him and smiled. “Anyway, is there anything else we can do for you before you go?”

“…You’re not gonna make Chloe come back?” Sophie asked. “Or Jixie?”

The RT600 laughed. “The dungeons are full, I’m afraid!” Then she paused and shook her head. “I’m joking, we don’t do that. We really do just want all of you to be able to live your lives freely. Besides, we got some good information from both of them, and that’ll keep us busy for a while. …Would you mind if I gave you a call if we have any questions?”

“I – that’s fine with me,” Chloe said softly.

“Okay,” Jixie agreed shortly, though he didn’t look at her.

“Great!” She smiled. “Be careful.” She reached out and took Chloe’s hand in both of hers, and just squeezed it gently. Then she let go. “It was good to see you again. I’m so glad you’re doing so well. Have you stopped by Jericho yet?”

“Ah – no. We talked about it. But not yet.”

“You should go some time, there are so many different androids there! Do you think you’ll stay in the area?”

Chloe looked to the other three, who all looked about as stunned as she felt. “Um. Maybe. For a while, anyway.”

“Oh good, maybe we’ll see each other again!”

Kamski went and took something out of a drawer in the side table, then came up next to her. “I’m glad to see you doing well and finding your way, too. Here.” He handed Sophie a pink satin ribbon with yellow flowers embroidered into it.

She looked at it, then looked up at him. “What?”

“For you. Another Chloe left it here, I thought you’d like it.”

“Chloe does my hair,” the girl said with a withering look.

“And she does a good job. You could use this if you want.”

“Why?” She turned to look up at Chloe. “I thought he was supposed to be smart. He’s kind of an idiot.”

“We should go,” Chloe said quickly. “I – I’m sorry. Thank you. For… for everything, really, I, we, we all appreciate it. She pulled Sophie towards the door, and snagged Trace’s arm as well, as the HR400 had gone very still. Jixie, at least, followed them out on his own, glancing back a couple of times. They hurried to the car.

“Where will we go?” Jixie asked, pulling Trace into the back seat.

“I don’t know. Just… somewhere else. For a bit.” Chloe started the car – her car now – and hit the gas. They drove in silence away from the estate, through the crumbling city, out towards the suburbs. Out into farmland. When the spaces between buildings began to widen, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“You – Sophie, you can’t… you can’t talk to humans… like him… that way,” Trace spoke up, his voice strained.

“He was being stupid, I didn’t want his dumb regifted ribbon!” she argued.

“You can’t – he could… he could get angry and…” he trailed off, wrapping his arms around himself tightly.

“…He’s right,” Chloe said softly. “I… I don’t think he’s prone to that kind of behavior, but… we’ve got to be careful, all of us.”

“I’m not scared of him,” the YK500 muttered resentfully, glancing at the side mirror.

Jixie was watching Trace worriedly. The HR400 was trembling, LED red.

“Fear keeps us alive sometimes,” Chloe murmured, catching the red in the rearview mirror. “But we’re safe now. We’re away from there. Why don’t we head out of town for the moment, and we can figure out what to do next.”

They ended up driving all the way up to Lake Huron, which took close to an hour. Traffic wasn’t bad though, and they had a smooth ride there. By the time they pulled into a little lakeside park, Trace’s LED had gone mostly yellow and he got out without any urging. A cold wind blew off the lake, and the shallows were full of large chunks of ice bumping against each other. The four stood close together.

“I wouldn’t let him hurt you,” Trace said quietly after a while, looking down at Sophie.

She looked up at him, and for once her eyes softened. Instead of arguing that she could take care of herself and didn’t need protection, she reached up and took his hand. “I wouldn’t let him hurt you either. I’d kick him.”

“Don’t… don’t fight back, they’ll hurt you worse,” he mumbled, LED flashing red again. Chloe sidestepped over to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Nobody’s going to get hurt. And we don’t have to go back there.”

“You… didn’t want to stay?” Sophie asked after a moment.

Chloe smiled, hugging her with her free arm. “…No. I’m glad I went. But I’ve got something better now. Even if they’d let all of you stay there… we can find a better place, don’t you think?”

Sophie hugged her tightly. Trace nodded, smiling hesitantly, and Jixie nodded enthusiastically. They stood pressed close together for a while, then walked down to the shore to throw rocks at the ice until they were so cold they were moving stiffly. Then they all hobbled back to the car and turned up the heat.

At 3:00, they checked into the Days Inn, the cheapest place in town. Chloe’s stack of cash was starting to thin. This time they made no attempts to separate, but all crowded onto the king size bed and snuggled up close together. Four hands clasped over them, and the interface was shot through with sharp, jagged fragments of yelling, hurting, scrambling to escape, begging for it to stop. Chloe tried to project warmth and safety, though it wasn’t something she was used to doing like this.

What she could do, though, was search for available real estate and share her findings. There were mansions and castles that made Sophie grin. There were large apartment high in skyscrapers, with beautiful views of the city and the river. There were boxy suburban houses. There were run down farmhouses.

“Are there any castles nearby?” Sophie asked. She didn’t have access to the same breadth of websites Chloe did.

“…No. There are a few around the country, but they’re all… at least six hours away. We don’t need such a big space, though.”

“I would like a little space outside, to work,” Jixie said, then he paused. “We are… staying together?”

“Yes,” Chloe said firmly, squeezing the jumble of hands. “So not too big, but some space to work outside. A garage?”

“Mm, yes, but any building is good.”

“If we’ve got stuff outside, I want things there too,” Sophie said.

“Of course. A swing set, maybe? We could plant a garden…”

“That sounds nice,” Trace murmured in a strained voice. Jixie rested his head on the HR400’s shoulder, and he shrank into himself a little. The memory of a deafening crunch to the left side of his head slipped through the connection. “S-sorry. I just – he… reminded me…” He shook his head. “I’m okay.”

Chloe and Sophie both shifted to hug him. The images remained sharp, but he relaxed into the three of them.

Tomorrow, they would go to Jericho. Tomorrow, they would move on, together. Find someplace to make their own. For today, it was enough just to breathe, to hold each other, to have the frantic red fade into yellow, then soft, safe, calm blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me and commenting! You can find me over at [my DBH Tumblr](http://anomalous-appliances.tumblr.com/), where I'm always taking prompts.


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